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By Frank Ienco reporting for AFANA

Sydney has again defied their critics and put their season back on track following a clinical 31 point disposal of competition leaders Port Adelaide at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Sunday afternoon (AEST). The Swans played an exciting attacking brand of football for most of the day, and while the result was not completely assured until mid-way through the final term, the home side led from start to finish and always had the Power at arms length.

Doubts about Sydney’s chances of replicating their recent success had surfaced after a horrendous fortnight on the road, with convincing losses to the Kangaroos and St. Kilda at the Telstra Dome. While the Swans had overcome poor starts to the season in the past, they themselves acknowledged they had not played up to scratch in the last couple of matches, and could ill afford to further lose touch with the top of the table. Port Adelaide themselves had surprised critics, but for far different reasons. The 2004 Premiers were not expected by many to become a force again for at least a couple more seasons, but having lost only one game in the opening seven rounds, they enjoyed top billing on the premiership ladder. They had every reason to feel confident, having won the corresponding match at the SCG last year by 26 points.

Sydney needed to make to make an early statement to dispel their critics and did so within the opening four minutes. A poor spoil by Port’s Chad Cornes allowed Jarred McVeigh to pick up he crumbs to kick the game’s opening goal, before Nick Davis marked in front of Cornes moments later to goal from 25 meters out. The Swans were already flexing their arms across the ground, and a short-range goal to Brett Ebert did little to stem the tide. Sydney was even applying defensive pressure inside their own attacking 50, and was rewarded with their third goal to Brownlow Medalist Adam Goodes. The home side had the chance to blow Port right out of the water had it not been for poor goal kicking. Ebert second goal followed four straight behinds by the Swans, who finally kicked another major deep into time-on when ruckman Peter Everitt bombed a long goal from the 50 meter arc. Two late goals by Michael O’Loughlin finally helped reflect Sydney’s dominance on the scoreboard, as they led by 27 points. A free kick to Kane Cornes with seconds remaining gave the Power some hope, the quarter-time score 6.4 (40) to 3.1 (19)       

Sydney had begun displaying the type of football that had taken them to the top of the AFL tree, and with the return Irish defender Tadhg Kennelly from a knee injury, had rediscovered their run across half-back. But Port began to match the Swans intensity during the second quarter and started to win some of the possession that had eluded them in the first quarter. Daniel Motlop kicked the term’s first goal within the first five minutes, a period which saw the Power win ten marks to nil as they looked to work their way back into the match. The Swans were again their own worst enemy in front of goal; as Port slammed two straight more goals on to remarkably reduce the margin to just five points. It took a clever handball off the ground from Adam Schneider to set Nick Malceski up on the run to swing the match back in Sydney’s favor.

As the Swans began to seize control of the contested footy across the ground, they again applied the blowtorch to the Power defense. Luke Ablett snuck through his first goal of the match with a long range goal from 50, before further goals in time-on to O’Loughlin and Ablett again helped the Swans finish the second quarter the same way they had completed the first. Sydney had in fact dominated across every part of the ground for most of the first half, with their midfield in particular stifling Port’s run and dictating the clearances at the center of the ground. The major break saw the Swans lead by five clear goals, 10.9 (69) to 6.3 (39).

Sydney again came out firing for the start of the second half, but again as had been the bane of most of the match, and most of their season, they failed to convert any of their chances. Ebert again capitalized following on from four straight Swans behinds, when his wobbly kick from the 50 meter arc snuck through for a goal. Sydney’s new ruck duo of Everitt and Darren Jolly had enjoyed its best combination so far this season, and both big men provided a further forward option when they drifted up the ground. Jolly finally put the Swans back on the board in the 12th minute of the quarter, converting a tough set shot near the boundary line right on the 50. With Sydney again dominating the clearances, the Power struggled to get their running game going, with the small confides of the SCG not assisting. Goals to McVeigh and Ablett appeared to put the game firmly in the Swans favor, with a late goal from the Power’s sole forward success Ebert giving the visitors a pulse. The score at three quarter time saw Sydney leading by a commanding 37 points, 13.13 (91) to 8.6 (54).

The match as good as over early in the last quarter when Barry Hall kicked two early goals to pushed Sydney out to a 44 point lead, but there was one final twist in the tale. Facing the fourth quarter specialists, the Power finally found free spaces across the ground and threw caution to the wind. Port’s first for the quarter did not come until the 11th minute mark of the term when an Ebert helped set up Steven Salopek for his first goal of the match. But the visitors put on three more straight goals in quick succession, including another to Salopek, and before anyone had time to catch breath, the margin had been cut down to 20 points at the mid-way point of the last quarter. However, the dream was short-lived, as another goal to ‘Magic’ O’Loughlin sealed a crucial four points for the Swans. Their final tally of 17 goals also provided a stark reminder to critics of Sydney’s potent forward line, while their ball usage and efficiency today was far removed from their mistake-riddled efforts from previous weeks.    

For a team who generally has few stand-out performers, it is important not to understate the return of Kennelly (the game’s leading possession getter with 13 kicks and 12 handballs), who had missed the Swans’ last two defeats. With his return, Sydney rediscovered their running game from defense and constantly put the Power’s midfield and defense under attack. Team-mate Craig Bolton (21 disposals, 12 marks) returned to form, while the Swans blue-collar midfield were simply brilliant, convincingly winning the clearances and contested footy in the middle of the ground.

Interestingly, the match had again been declared a sell-out by the Swans earlier in the morning, as has been the case for other matches this year with the redevelopment of the grandstand at the scoreboard end reducing the SCG’s capacity. But with a crowd of around 25-and-a-half thousand, there were more than a few empty seats.

For the visitors, small forward Ebert proved the only effective forward target for most of the match, particularly with Warren Treadea shut out of the match. With Kane Cornes (23 disposals) providing the only real respite, the Power only showed flashes of their best during parts of the match and today’s performance should not be indicative of how they will perform for the rest of the season.

Port Adelaide face an interesting clash against a resurgent Geelong at AAMI Stadium next Sunday, while on the same afternoon, the Swans travel down the highway to take on the Western Bulldogs at Manuka Oval, Canberra.


Final Score- Sydney: 6.4 10.9 13.13 17.16
Port Adelaide : 3.1 6.3 8.6 13.9


Goals- Sydney: O’Loughlin 4, McVeigh 2, L. Ablett 2, Hall 2, Davis, Goodes, Everitt,
Malceski, Jolly, Buchanan, Schneider. Port Adelaide: Ebert 4, Motlop 2, Salopek 2,
K. Cornes, Bentley, S Burgoyne, Thomas, Pearce.
Best- Sydney: Kennelly, O’Loughlin, L. Ablett, C. Bolton, Barry.
Port Adelaide: K. Cornes, Ebert, P. Burgoyne, Cassisi.
Injuries- Nil.
Reports- Nil.
Umpires- Donlon, Stevic, Allen.
Attendance- 25, 423 @ the SCG
 

          

 

 


Article last changed on Wednesday, May 23, 2007 - 4:03 PM EDT


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